una aproximación a través de Internet
2.1. Antecedentes
2.1.3 Buscadores y palabras clave
5 Adapt with the Memletic Styles
Each of us learns using preferred learning styles. This chapter helps you discover your stronger and secondary learning styles, and the range of styles available to you.
It also provides you with strategies for improving your learning by using your dominant styles and developing your secondary styles. These strategies help you adapt Memletics to suit your preferences, while challenging you to increase the range of styles you can use. The result is you can apply your new-found abilities to many more varied goals.
Chapter 5: Adapt with the Memletic Styles
This is a summary of the Memletic Styles chapter from the Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual. You can find more information on the manual by visiting http://www.memletics.com/manual
Memletics recognizes that each person prefers different learning styles and techniques.
Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances.
There is no right mix. Nor are your styles fixed.
You can develop ability in less dominate styles, as well as further develop styles that you already use well.
Using multiple learning styles and “multiple intelligences” for learning is a relatively new approach. This approach is one that educators have only recently started to recognize. Traditional schooling used (and continues to use) mainly linguistic and logical teaching methods. It also uses a limited range of learning and teaching techniques. Many schools still rely on classroom and book-based teaching, much repetition, and pressured exams for reinforcement and review. A result is that we often label those who use these learning styles and techniques as
“bright.” Those who use less favored learning styles often find themselves in lower classes, with various not-so-complimentary labels and sometimes lower quality teaching. This can create positive and negative spirals that reinforce the belief that one is “smart” or “dumb.”
By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.
Visual Logical Social
Solitary
Aural Verbal
Physical
Memletic
Styles
Visual Logical Social
Solitary
Aural Verbal
Physical
Memletic
Styles
In this chapter, we first look at the basis of learning styles and their influence on learning. Following that, I have an exercise for you. The exercise is a questionnaire to help you discover your preferred Memletic styles.
We then look at each of the Memletic Styles in turn. In summary, these are:
• Visual. You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
• Aural. You prefer using sound and music.
• Verbal. You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
• Physical. You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
• Logical. You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
• Social. You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
• Solitary. You prefer to work alone and use self-study.
Lastly, we look at how you can improve your learning by using learning styles.
One obvious way is to use more of your dominant learning styles. An interesting feature of learning styles is that you can also improve your learning performance by using styles you do not often use. If you are a mainly visual person, then you can make a lesson more memorable by using some aural content in your visualizations. If you like to use logic, then use some physical learning techniques occasionally.
Why Styles? Understand the basis of learning styles
Your learning styles have more influence than you may realize. Your preferred styles guide the way you learn. They also change the way you internally represent experiences, the way you recall information, and even the words you choose. We explore more of these features in this chapter.
Research shows us that each learning style uses different parts of the brain. By involving more of the brain during learning, we remember more of what we learn.
Researchers using brain-imaging technologies have been able to find out the key areas of the brain responsible for each learning style. Refer to the “Brain Regions”
diagram and read the following overview:
• Visual. The occipital lobes at the back of the brain manage the visual sense.
Both the occipital and parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.
• Aural. The temporal lobes handle aural content. The right temporal lobe is especially important for music.
• Verbal. The temporal and frontal lobes, especially two specialized areas called Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas (in the left hemisphere of these two lobes).
• Physical. The cerebellum and the motor cortex (at the back of the frontal lobe) handle much of our physical movement.
• Logical. The parietal lobes, especially the left side, drive our logical thinking.
• Social. The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of our social activities.
The limbic system (not shown apart from the hippocampus) also influences both the social and solitary styles. The limbic system has a lot to do with emotions, moods and aggression.
• Solitary. The frontal and parietal lobes, and the limbic system, are also active with this style.
I’ve based the Memletic Styles on two brain models you may have heard about.
The first is “Multiple Intelligences” by Howard Gardner. I’ve broadened his model
and made it more applicable to learning. You may know the other model as “VAK,”
or the Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic model. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) books also describe this model as “modality preferences.”
Frontal Lobe •Consciousness, concentration, overall intelligence •Creatingplans, setting goals,and determining priorities •Judgements, decision making andproblem solving •Personality, emotionalresponses •Language(production) and wordassociation (usually left hemisphere) •Initiating andmonitoring activities inresponse to our environment •Management ofmovements of ourbody •Memoryof motor movements and habits •Sense ofsmell
Parietal Lobe •Interpreting and giving meaning to sensory inputs receivedfrom other partsof the brain or senses,such asvision,hearing, motor areas,memory and other inputs •Naming objects andconcepts, and locating the wordsfor writing •Manipulatingobjects and touch perception •Hand-eye co-ordination •Maintaining visualattention •Some aspects ofmathematics/calculations Temporal Lobe •Hearing–hearing sounds and giving them meaning •Interpreting music–typicallyin the right hemisphere •Memory acquisition, bothshort andlong term •Languageandspeech, including interpreting words (usually left hemisphere) •Classifying, or organising objects or concepts into categories •Sense oftaste Occipital Lobe •Primarily vision,including light/dark and colours (left controls right, andvice versa) •Interpreting movementof objects •Recognising words or drawings (inaccurate representation of objects) •Managing thevisual field Cerebellum •Final co-ordination andfine- tuning ofmovement andmotor activity. •Handlingposture and balance (muscle control) •Sensing limband body locations •Partial memoryfor certain reflex actions •Co-ordination ofrapid or repetitive muscle movements
Hippocampus (under, middle) •Temporary storage of memories •Filtering (whatto keep, whatto discard) •Assistingin transition from short tolong term memory (declarative memories) •Linking components ofa memory together
You may have also heard about the “left brain / right brain” model. In this model, the “left brain” is more logical, calculating and knowing, whereas the right brain focuses on emotions, feelings, and the visual sense. Recent research shows the brain is more complex than that simple model allows. Some activities are more commonly on the left or right sides, such as language on the left and music on the right. However, most of our brain’s functions are a rich interplay between both the hemispheres.
Profile yourself—use the Memletic Styles questionnaire
Before we look at the various learning styles, let’s discover what learning styles you prefer. In the following questionnaire, you first estimate your learning styles.
You then answer seventy questions about how you interact with the world.
Following that, you complete a scoring sheet that then gives you a score for each learning style. Lastly, you graph your results and compare against your estimate.
The outcome from the questionnaire is a personalized Memletic Styles graph similar to the one on the right.
You can write in the book (or take a photocopy if the book belongs to someone else) or use the spreadsheet from the website . The spreadsheet has the benefit that it calculates your scores and graphs them for you.
You will find this questionnaire valuable. Doing this questionnaire helps you better understand your own learning styles. It also makes the following descriptions more relevant to you.
Do the pre-test graph
Before you start the questionnaire, fill out the blank graph on the right.
Review the basic descriptions at the start of the chapter if you like.
For each axis, estimate on a rating of
zero to twenty how often you use that particular learning style. Score zero if hardly ever, twenty if you use that style often. Draw in the score on each style axis (the lines starting from the centre), then join the dots like in the example Memletic Styles graph above.
Answer the questions
Answer each question by circling one of the numbers on the right. You could also write zero, one or two directly into the scoring sheet further below, or print out a sheet from the spreadsheet on the website . If you enter your scores into the
0
score sheet while you answer the questions, hide the bottom of the score sheet so you don’t see the styles for each column.
The scale is as follows:
0. The description sounds nothing like you.
1. The description sounds partly like you.
2. The description sounds exactly like you.
Take as long as you like. Afterwards we rate your answers. Remember there are no right or wrong answers. Usually the first response that comes into your mind when you read the question is a good answer.
Questions
1 You have a personal or private interest or hobby that you like to do alone.
0 1 2
2 You put together itineraries and agendas for travel. You use detailed lists, such as to-do lists, and you number the items and set priorities.
0 1 2
3 Jingles, themes or parts of songs pop into your head at random. 0 1 2 4 You preferred math and science subjects at school. 0 1 2 5 You are happy in your own company. You like to do some
activities alone and away from others.
0 1 2
6 You enjoy learning in classroom style surroundings with other people. You enjoy the contact and it helps your learning.
0 1 2
7 You read everything. Books, newspapers, magazines, menus, signs, etc.
0 1 2
8 You can easily visualize objects, buildings, scenarios etc. from descriptions or plans.
0 1 2
9 You are goal oriented and know the direction you are going in life or work.
0 1 2
10 You prefer team games and sports such as football/soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball, hockey, and baseball.
0 1 2
11 You navigate well and use maps with ease. You rarely get lost.
You have a good sense of direction. You usually know which way North is.
0 1 2
12 You prefer to study or work alone. 0 1 2
13 You love sport and exercise. 0 1 2
14 You spend time alone to reflect and think about your life. 0 1 2 15 In regular conversation, you often use references to other topics
or events you have heard about or read.
0 1 2
16 You enjoy finding associations, for example between numbers or objects. You like to classify or group things to help you
understand the relationships between them.
0 1 2
17 You keep a journal or personal diary to record your thoughts. 0 1 2 18 You like being a mentor or guide for others. 0 1 2 19 You communicate well with others and often act as a mediator
between them.
0 1 2
20 You like to listen. People like to talk to you because they feel you understand them.
0 1 2
21 You like listening to music—in the car, studying, at work (if possible!), or anywhere. You love live music.
0 1 2
22 You can balance a checkbook. You like to set budgets and other numerical goals.
0 1 2
23 You have some very close friends. 0 1 2
24 You use many hand gestures or other physical body language when communicating with others.
0 1 2
25 English, languages and literature were favorite subjects at school.
0 1 2
26 You like making models, or working out jigsaws. 0 1 2 27 You prefer to talk over problems, issues, or ideas with others,
rather than working on them by yourself.
0 1 2
28 Music was your favorite subject at school. 0 1 2 29 In school, you preferred art, technical drawing, and geometry. 0 1 2 30 You love telling stories, or using metaphors or anecdotes. 0 1 2 31 You like identifying logic flaws in other people's words and
actions.
0 1 2
32 You like using a camera or video camera to capture the world around you.
0 1 2
33 You use rhythm or rhyme to remember items, for example phone numbers, PIN numbers, and other items.
0 1 2
34 In school, you liked sports, wood or metalworking, craft, sculpture, pottery and other similar subjects.
0 1 2
35 You have a great vocabulary, and like using the right word at the right time.
0 1 2
36 You like the texture and feel of clothes, furniture and other objects.
0 1 2
37 You would prefer to holiday on a deserted island rather than a resort or cruise ship with many other people around.
0 1 2
38 You like books with many diagrams, illustrations, or pictures. 0 1 2 39 You easily express yourself, whether it’s verbally or in writing.
You can clearly explain ideas and information to others.
0 1 2
40 You like playing games with others, such as card games and board games.
0 1 2
41 You use specific examples and references to support your points of view.
0 1 2
42 You pay attention to the sounds around you. You can tell the difference between instruments, or cars, or aircraft, based on their sound.
0 1 2
43 You have a good sense of color. 0 1 2
44 You like making puns, saying tongue twisters, making rhymes. 0 1 2 45 You like to think out ideas, problems, or issues while doing
something physical.
0 1 2
46 You read self-help books, you’ve been to self-help workshops, or you’ve done similar work to learn more about yourself.
0 1 2
47 You can play a musical instrument or you can sing on (or close to) key.
0 1 2
48 You like crosswords, scrabble and other word games. 0 1 2 49 You like logic games and brainteasers. You like chess and other
strategy games.
0 1 2
50 You like getting out of the house and being with others at parties and other social events.
0 1 2
51 You occasionally realize you are tapping in time to music, or you naturally start to hum or whistle a tune. Even after only hearing a tune a few times, you can remember it.
0 1 2
52 You solve problems by "thinking aloud." You talk through issues, questions and possible solutions.
0 1 2
53 You enjoy dancing. 0 1 2
54 You prefer to work for yourself, or you have thought a lot about it.
0 1 2
55 You don't like silence. You would prefer to have some background music or other noise to silence.
0 1 2
56 You love theme park rides that involve much physical action, or you dislike them because you are sensitive to the physical forces on your body.
0 1 2
57 You draw well. You find yourself drawing or doodling on a notepad when thinking.
0 1 2
58 You easily work with numbers, and can do decent calculations in your head.
0 1 2
59 You use diagrams and scribbles to communicate ideas and information. You love whiteboards (and color pens).
0 1 2
60 You hear small things that others don't. 0 1 2
61 You would prefer to touch or handle something to understand how it works.
0 1 2
62 You don’t mind taking the lead and showing others the way ahead.
0 1 2
63 You easily absorb information through reading, audiocassettes or lectures. The actual words and phrases come back to you.
0 1 2
64 You like to understand how and why things work. You keep up to date with science and technology.
0 1 2
65 You are a tinkerer. You like pulling things apart, and they usually go back together! You can easily follow instructions represented in diagrams.
0 1 2
66 Music evokes strong emotions and images as you listen to it.
Music is prominent in your recall of memories.
0 1 2
67 You think independently. You know how you think and you make up your own mind. You understand your own strengths and weaknesses.
0 1 2
68 You like gardening or working with your hands in the shed. 0 1 2 69 You like visual arts, painting, and sculpture. You like jigsaws
and mazes.
0 1 2
70 You use a specific step-by-step process to work out problems. 0 1 2
Score your responses
Now that you have completed the questions, use the score sheet further below to assign your answers to the correct styles. In the shaded box for each question, write in your score from the questions above—zero, one or two.
1 1
2 2
3 1
4 2
5 1
6 0
Once you have filled out all the boxes, add up each column and write the totals at the bottom of each column.
33 2
34 1
35 0
Total 8 3 2 2 7 3 7
Finally, add the totals of each style from the two columns and write your overall totals in the bottom box.
Overall Totals (add total lines above):
Visual Verbal Aural Physical Logical Social Solitary
18 5 4 4 14 8 14
Graph and analyze
Lastly, graph your scores on the blank Memletic Styles graph on the right. As you may have done above before answering the questions, draw in the score on each axis, then join the dots.
The graph shows which styles you use more often, against those you use less often. You might also like to compare your graph back to your estimate of your learning styles. Look at the differences and try to understand them.
Keep your results in mind and continue to the next section, where I give you some more information on each of the learning styles.
Note: The full scoring sheet is included in the full version.
0 5 10 15 20
Visual
Social
Physical
Aural Verbal
Solitary Logical
The Visual Style—images, colors and spatial relationships
If you use the visual style, you typically excel at using images, pictures, colors, and maps to structure information and communicate with others. You can easily visualize objects, plans and outcomes in your mind’s eye. You also have a good spatial sense, which gives you a good sense of direction. You can easily find your way around using maps, and you rarely get lost. When you walk out of an elevator, you instinctively know which way to turn.
Content in the book includes:
• Further description of the visual style traits.
• Typical pursuits that make use of the visual style.
• Common phrases that visual style people use.
• Detailed discussion of which exploration and memorization techniques work well with those using a visual style.
• Comments on the use of visualization by those who don’t use a visual style all that much.
The Aural Style—sound and music
If you use the aural style, you like to work with sound and music. You have a good sense of pitch and rhythm, and you typically can sing, play a musical instrument, or identify the sounds of different instruments.
Content in the book includes:
• Further description of the aural style traits.
• Typical pursuits that make use of the aural style.
• Common phrases that aural style people use.
• Detailed discussion of which exploration and memorization techniques work well with those using an aural style.
The Verbal Style—spoken and written words
The verbal style involves both the written and spoken word. If you use this style, you find it easy to express yourself, both written and verbally. You love reading, and typically also write.
Content in the book includes:
• Further description of the verbal style traits.
• Typical pursuits that make use of the verbal style.
• Common phrases that verbal style people use.
• Detailed discussion of which exploration and memorization techniques work well with those using a verbal style.
The Physical Style—touch and sensations
If the physical style is more like you, it’s likely that you use your body and sense
If the physical style is more like you, it’s likely that you use your body and sense